Kotlin is attracting attention as "a better Java" especially since Google backed it as a language for Android development. In this book, some chapters of which you can read on this site, Mike James introduces Kotlin to programmers. You don't have to be an expert programmer in Java or any other language, but you need to know the basics of programming and using objects.

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While Kotlin is similar to Java and you can pick up much of the language as you go along, a deeper understanding will enable you to create better and more robust programs. As with all languages there are some subtle areas where an understanding of how things work makes all the difference.